Starfield: 15 Best Skills From Each Skill Tree

Anyone would want to pick the best skills for their optimal builds in Starfield. However, with over 80 skills available, choosing the right ones becomes confusing. Similarly, testing these all out after unlocking them is not a good idea either, as that will cost lots and lots of time. To simplify it, I have compiled a list of the best skills you should prioritize and unlock immediately.

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Major Takeaways

• There are 82 skills in Starfield divided into five skill trees. With no apparent level cap, players can take their time to get them all. 
• From the Physical Skill Tree, Stealth, Fitness, and Martial arts are three essential skills that can help players get around anywhere, make fast movements, and deal more damage at close range.
• Social Skill Tree’s Persuasion, Leadership, and Commerce are great skills to help players win conversations, avoid confrontations, lead teams, and run successful trades.
• Combat Skill Tree’s Ballistics, Sharpshooting, and Dueling are valuable skills that help dominate any confrontation.

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Skill	Skill Tree	Tier
Stealth	Physical	Tier-1
Fitness	Physical	Tier-1
Martial Arts	Physical	Tier-3
Persuasion	Social	Tier-1
Leadership	Social	Tier-3
Commerce	Social	Tier-1
Ballistics	Combat	Tier-1
Sharpshooting	Combat	Tier-4
Dueling	Combat	Tier-1
Targeting Control System	Tech	Tier-1
Security	Tech	Tier-1
Boost Pack Training	Tech	Tier-1
Outpost Engineering	Science	Tier-3
Weapon Engineering	Science	Tier-2
Spacesuit Design	Science	Tier-2

Best Skills Comparison

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About Author

Shaheer has spent an ample amount of hours in Starfield to determine which skills have proven most handy frequently in every tense situation. You can contact him via his Steam profile, “BUtteRfLy,” any time.

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Physical Skills

Here are the best skills from the Physical skill tree in the game:

Skill	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4
Stealth	Adds stealth meter, Sneak around 25% faster, deals 5% more stealth damage.	Sneak 50% faster, Deals 10% additional sneak damage.	75% more difficult to detect, deals 15% more sneak damage.	100% more difficult to detect, deals 20% more stealth damage.
Fitness	10% more oxygen.	20% more oxygen.	30% more oxygen.	Running and attacks use less oxygen.
Martial Arts	15% more chances of critical hitting unarmed or with melee weapons.	15% more chances to disarm opponents.	Takes 10% less damage.	Reflects back 50% damage to enemies.

Stealth

Stealth will let you sneak around and get away with whatever you want. It is an impressive physical skill in Starfield that will make you less noticeable and make it easier to sneak away. This Tier-1 skill at Rank-1 has the following uses in the game:

• It adds a stealth meter to the game and increases your chances of successfully sneaking around by 25%.
• Moreover, Stealth will increase the damage of your sneak attacks by 5%.
• Players should invest one skill point in Stealth as it is the primary skill, making Stealth effective in Starfield.

I do not make use of any of the Stealth skills. However, sometimes, I experience a lack of it when it comes to keeping a low profile in certain missions. But things can still get done in an accurate manner, nonetheless, even without these skills.

All these are Rank-1 benefits. Upgrading the skill by completing any challenge and, later on, allocating a few skill points can take it up to Rank-4 in the game, where you can enjoy 100% more chances to sneak around. Moreover, you will also be able to deal 20% more sneak attack damage.

Fitness

Unlike most Physical tree skills, Fitness is more of a universal skill, which makes its inclusion on the list more sensible. Combat maneuvers and exploratory work become more straightforward when Fitness is utilized sensibly. This Tier-1 skill at Rank-1 has the following advantages in the game:

• Being in a space odyssey, oxygen will determine your survival. Fitness increases your maximum oxygen by 10% per rank.
• Increased oxygen means increased stamina, ultimately enabling you to sprint more.
• Moreover, you can perform more power attacks and run on high-gravity surfaces.

I prioritize this skill because it helps tremendously in combat, especially on planets where gravity is of maximum value.

Upgrading Fitness by completing related challenges and allocating skill points can take it Rank-4. Consequently, you will get more than 40% more oxygen per rank, making your power attacks more efficient.

Martial Arts

It is one of Starfield’s best physical skills, for good reasons. Being a Tier-4 skill, this is a must-have skill for any melee build. It is effective even when you are unarmed in a fight. I hardly suggest this skill if you are not a melee combat player. Here is how it can help you in Starfield at Rank-1:

• Martial Arts increases the critical hit chance by 15% when unarmed or in a melee fight.
• You can also use it to disarm your opponents and, later on, dominate them easily.

Interestingly, you can also block attacks and have a 50% chance of bouncing back the damage on your opponents. However, upgrading it to Rank-4 in Starfield is only doable.

Social Skills

Here are the best skills from the Social skill tree in the game:

Skills	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4
Persuasion	10% more chances of successful persuasion.	20% more chances of successful persuasion.	30% more chances of successful persuasion.	50% more chances of successful persuasion.
Leadership	25% faster affinity for companions.	50 extra health points, 50kg increased carrying capacity for companions.	Companions can heal you.	Doubles up bonuses.
Commerce	Buy at 5% less and sell at 10% more.	Buy at 10% less and sell at 15% more.	Buy at 15% less and sell at 20% more.	Buy at 20% less and sell at 25% more.

Persuasion

It is an essential social skill for almost every build. It is handy in dealing with all the speech challenges in Starfield, where you have to convince NPCs in your favor. Moreover, it is easy to talk through various situations without igniting any conflict. Here is how you can utilize Persuasion in Starfield:

• Persuasion increases your chances of successfully persuading any NPC by 10%.
• You can negotiate to decrease the admission fee of many new crew mates.
• Similarly, you can avoid severe confrontations and convince NPCs to help you solve quests and unlock loot.

This skill holds its worth for many main and side quests. Therefore, it is my personal preference to upgrade this skill every now and then.

Upgrading the skill to Rank-4 will increase your chances of persuasion by 50%. Being a Tier-1 skill with so much impact makes it comfortable with every character in the game.

Leadership

If your teammates are not so serious about the game, you can take on this skill to lead the group in a better direction. By taking this skill, as you upgrade your abilities in the game, your teammates will be able to enjoy the same perks as you. Here is how you can utilize Leadership in Starfield:

• Your teammates gain affinity 25% faster when using Leadership.
• Companions’ carrying capacity increased by an additional 50kg.
• They will have 50 more health points and can heal you when you are low on health.

I mention this skill because companions offer exceptional aid on your adventures. Caring for the fact that their enhancement will benefit you in every way possible is what I believe can ease your journey.

Upgrading it to Rank-4 in Starfield doubles combat and Physical Crew Skills’ effects for companions. This ability especially makes it one of the best skills in Starfield.

Commerce

You will spend quite some time buying various items and selling them later in the game for some extra credit. Commerce comes in handy, especially at the starting levels of the game when you are short on credit, as it benefits your trades in all ways possible. Here is how it can make your trades successful in Starfield:

• You can buy items at a significantly lower price and sell them later with considerable profit. At Rank-1, it can help you with purchasing items at a 5% discounted price.
• Similarly, you can sell items at 10% profit.
• Repeating this process a few times can generate a generous fortune to help you progress in the game later.

This type of skill is something that I exploit maximum in RPG games. Moreover, I suggest upgrading this skill in the early stages of the game and utilizing it to get the best gear and ship possible. I comply with the idea of upgrading the skill to Rank-4. It can land you a 20% discount on purchasing items and a 25% bonus in Starfield.

Combat Skills

Here are the best skills from the Combat skill tree in the game:

Skills	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4
Ballistics	Ballistic weapons deal 10% extra damage.	Ballistic weapons deal 20% extra damage.	Ballistic weapons deal 30% extra damage.	Ballistic weapons range increase by 30%.
Sharpshooting	Increase critical headshot damage by 50%.	Increase critical damage to legs by 50%.	Increase critical damage to enemies by 50%.	Critical hit chance increases by 25% for 20 seconds.
Dueling	Melee weapons deal 25% more damage and take 10% less damage.	Run 20% faster for 10 seconds.	Melee weapons deal 50% more damage and take 20% less damage.	Heals 10% health.

Ballistics

It is one of the must-have skills at the start of your campaign because you will primarily use ballistic weapons in Starfield. While it makes your starting journey easier, you can upgrade it later only if you plan to incorporate more ballistic weapons in your build. Here are the perks you can enjoy with this skill in Starfield:

• At Rank-1, this skill lets you deal 10% more damage with ballistic weapons.
• As you will use these weapons, spending a skill point to use Ballistic skill with them makes more sense and is a reasonable investment.

These are rather the most elemental type of skills which I recommend every player should have from the beginning.

It can go up to Rank-4 in Starfield, increasing the damage and range of your ballistic weapons by 30%. 

Sharpshooting

Cracking heads with crispy headshots is a fun job in Starfield, at least to me. With Sharpshooting skills, you deal more headshot damage than usual with various weapons. Here is what you can expect with this skill in Starfield:

• Sharpshooting at Rank-1 allows you to deal 50% more critical damage when using ranged weapons.
• Upgrading it to Rank-2 will let you deal 50% more critical damage to your opponents’ legs.
• Sharpshooting at Rank-3 will let you deal 50% more critical damage to your enemies without any restrictions. However, it is only specific to ranged weapons. 
• At Rank-4, every time your critical hits with a ranged weapon kill an enemy, all your ranged weapons will get a 25% damage boost for 20 seconds.

I personally prefer this skill to players who keep the weapons of high fire rate as primary ones. However, I believe the Sharpshooter skill will complement every type of ranged weapon.

Dueling

Close-range combats are usually brutal and require more focus and control to dominate the game. Similarly, if you are building a melee-based build in Starfield, Dueling is one of the must-have skills. Here is how Dueling will help you in the game:

• At Rank-1, Dueling can help you deal 25% more damage with melee weapons. Moreover, you will take 10% less damage from your enemies.
• At Rank-2, your character can run 20% faster for 10 seconds every time you kill an enemy.
• Rank-3 of Dueling will let you deal 50% extra melee damage and take 15% less damage from your opponents.
• Finally, Rank-4 of Dueling will increase your health by 10% every time you kill an enemy.

To those with close combat tactics, I highly recommend using Dueling and Martial Arts skills together. 

Tech Skills

Here are the best skills from the Tech skill tree in the game:

Skills	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4
Targeting Control System	Unlocks your ship’s targeting functionality	Lock on your targets 15% faster	Lock on your targets 30% faster	Lock on targets 60% faster.
Security	Hack into any advanced lock system	Lockpick expert-level lock systems	Lockpick Master-level lock systems	Rule out useless keys.
Boost Pack Training	Access Bootpacks	Boostpacks use less fuel	Regenerate fuel quickly	Double up benefits

Targeting Control System

Although you won’t spend much time in ship combats, we can never eliminate the odds. Fighting in space is a tricky thing to do in itself, as locking down on your moving enemies requires lots of focus and practice. However, with this skill, you will have to worry about one less problem. Here is what you can enjoy with the Targeting Control System in Starfield:

• At Rank-1, it merely unlocks your ship’s targeting functionality.
• At Rank-2, you can lock on your targets 15% faster. Similarly, your opponents will face a lag that will slow down their targeting speed by 25%.
• Rank-3 of this skill will let you lock on your targets 30% faster. Similarly, you have 10% more chances of critically hitting your targets.
• This is where things get interesting. Rank-4 of the Targeting Control System makes locking on targets 60% faster and deals 20% more damage.

The main factor I consider this skill is that it allows you to hijack other ships. I have made some substantial sum hijacking ships and selling them to ship technicians.

Security

It is one of the first skills that you should unlock. It unlocks new opportunities by hacking and lockpicking even the most secure doors in the game. Similarly, if you plan on building a stealth-based build, Security will play an essential role in its success. Here is how it will help you in Starfield:

• At Rank-1, Security lets you hack into any advanced lock system with two auto attempts to lockpick various systems.
• Rank-2 of this skill allows three auto attempts to lockpick expert-level lock systems.
• When upgraded to Rank-3, security allows four auto attempts to lockpick Master-level lock systems.
• Finally, Rank-4 lets you make five attempts by eliminating useless keys when solving quizzes.

I did not consider this skill necessary till the moment I faced difficulty progressing in most of the quests. I do not suggest focusing on this skill, but adding a few points to it occasionally will prove quite handy.

Boost Pack Training

Boostpacks are an essential part of Starfield’s gameplay. However, you can only use them once you have unlocked the Boost Pack Training skill. It makes your exploratory work more easy and quick. Here is how Boost Pack Training can help you in Starfield:

• Rank-1 lets you access and use the Boostpack.
• At Rank-2, Boost Pack Training ensures you use less fuel than usual.
• You can regenerate your boost pack’s fuel more quickly than usual after upgrading this skill to Rank-4.
• The final upgrade will let you double up all the benefits from previous upgrades.

My all-time favorite skill because of its accessibility to airborne duration. Whether this is related to high-ground advantage in combat or just leaping around aimlessly for enjoyment, I recommend this skill to any type of player.

Science Skills

Here are the best skills from the Science skill tree in the game:

Skills	Rank 1	Rank 2	Rank 3	Rank 4
Outpost Engineering	Create outpost modules at Research lab	Create superior outpost modules.	Create cutting-edge outpost modules	Save 50% resources when creating an outpost.
Weapon Engineering	Create improved weapons mods in a Weapon Workbench.	Work on Superior weapon mods.	Create cutting-edge weapon mods.	Work on Master-level weapon mods.
Spacesuit Design	Work on improved spacesuits, helmets, and pack mods	Work on superior spacesuits, helmets, and pack mods	Work on cutting-edge spacesuits, helmets, and pack mods	Create mods without any resources.

Outpost Engineering

It is an important skill if you are looking to make your settlements. Outpost Engineering provides useful outpost modules, which makes the construction process an altogether interesting process. Here is how you can use this skill in Starfield:

• At Rank-1, Outpost Engineering allows you to create great outpost modules at a Research Lab.
• If you want Superior outpost modules, upgrading this skill to Rank-2 is a solid choice. Similarly, spending additional skill points to upgrade Outpost Engineering to Rank-3 is the way for cutting-edge modules.
• Rank-4 is probably the most helpful upgrade for this skill, as it lets you save 50% of your resources while constructing an outpost.

Researching is a vital part of Starfield, which I regret not focusing on initially. Other than combat, I duly suggest considering the Outpost Engineering skill as a fundamental part of the game. This is because whenever you tend to set up an outpost, you will have the most appropriate options, in my opinion.

Weapon Engineering

Upgrading your weapons is essential in Starfield to accommodate them with the changing difficulty levels in the game. That is why Weapon Engineering is one of the most essential skills. It provides essential gear mods to enhance the performance of your weapons. Here is how it will help you in the game:

• You can research and work on improved weapon mods in a Weapon Workbench.
• Rank-2 and Rank-3 allow you to research and work on Superior and Cutting-edge weapon mods, respectively.
• Upgrading Weapon Engineering to Rank-4 lets you research and work on Master-level weapon mods in Starfield.

I observed the potential of this skill the moment it allowed me to enhance my early-game weapons enough to deliver a devastating blow to high-tier enemies.

Spacesuit Design

It lets you use spacesuit mods to enhance your armor in Starfield effectively. With strong armor, you can go for more tanky builds or upgrade your weapons to go to war all prepared. Here is how Spacesuit Design will help you with your journey in Starfield:

• Spacesuit Design lets you research and work on improved spacesuits, helmets, and pack mods in Starfield.
• Rank-2 and Rank-3 will let you do so on Superior and Cutting-edge spacesuits, helmets, and pack mods in Starfield.
• Rank-4, probably worth the upgrade, lets you construct all these things without using resources.

I highly consider this skill because you might be unable to find effective spacesuits from the merchants. Therefore, I suggest it is best to struggle with modding the spacesuit in a way that benefits you the most. 

My Thoughts

The best of these I prefer in each Skill Tree are:

• Fitness (Physical Skills)
• Commerce (Social Skills)
• Ballistic (Combat Skills)
• Target Control System (Tech Skills)

In my opinion, these skills are the most flexible ones that can benefit every possible build in Starfield.

Overall, Starfield has unlimited possibilities, so I suggest being flexible with your decision to pick certain skills. 

While you are here, don’t forget to read more on:

• Starfield Best Background.
• Starfield Target Engines.
• Starfield Best Traits.